Strong characters - characters we love and hate, those we despair for at their low moments and egg on to their triumphs - are the foundation of any successful script. Written by award-winning writer Rib Davis and now fully updated for its second edition, Creating Compelling Characters for Film, TV, Theatre and Radio is an authoritative practical guide to developing characters for professional and aspiring writers alike. As well as exploring character motivation, the interplay between character and plot, comic characters, heroes and villains, the new edition also includes a more in-depth look at character psychology, writing ensemble and multi-narrative dramas and the balance between character development and character revelation. The book also includes a wide range of contemporary examples from scripts ranging from films such as The Wolf of Wall Street and The Grand Budapest Hotel, award-winning plays such as Jerusalem and acclaimed TV shows such as Game of Thrones and True Detective.

American author Kurt Vonnegut has famously declared that writing is unteachable, yet formal education persists in that task. Teaching Writing as Journey, Not Destination is the culmination of P.L. Thomas's experiences as both a writer and a teacher of writing reaching into the fourth decade of struggling with both. This volume collects essays that examine the enduring and contemporary questions facing writing teachers, including grammar instruction, authentic practices in high-stakes environments, student choice, citation and plagiarism, the five-paragraph essay, grading, and the intersections of being a writer and teaching writing. Thomas offers concrete classroom experiences drawn from teaching high school ELA, first-year composition, and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses. Ultimately, however, the essays are a reflection of Thomas's journey and a concession to both writing and teaching writing as journeys without ultimate destinations.

The Little Book: A Beginner's Guide to Finding Your Rhetorical Voice helps students communicate with confidence in their speaking and writing. The material facilitates self-discovery and critical thinking as students learn to assess the validity of their ideas and express themselves with clarity and integrity. Early chapters emphasize critical thinking as the basis for original rhetorical thought, provide tips for building sound arguments, and introduce the concepts of rhetoric and sophistry. Additional chapters address appropriate word choice, the importance of analyzing an audience, defining intent and purpose, and constructing logical claims supported by credible evidence. The second edition content reorganization and revision to enhance the clarity of the material, increase student engagement, update material, and expand upon key concepts. It features two new chapters, "Finding Your Rhetorical Voice," which was previously only a section within a chapter, and "Surveys and Scientific Studies: Some Caveats," which addresses the timely topics of fake news, scientific research, and critical thinking. The Little Book is an ideal resource for undergraduate courses in public speaking and professional writing.

Technically-minded people can struggle with business writing and many businesses get it wrong, losing their readers in avalanches of acronyms and jungles of technical jargon. It doesn't have to be that way. In this book you'll discover how to give your communication skills an upgrade, exploring the tips and tricks that will enable you to write effectively and persuasively for any audience. You'll discover how to write for maximum impact and how to make your enthusiasm even more infectious.

Master Arabic script - in which the Koran is written - with this straightforward guide from Teach Yourself, the No. 1 brand in language learning. Read and write Arabic script is a clear step-by-step guide to the written language, with plenty of examples from real-life texts to show how it works in context and lots of exercises to reinforce your learning. This new edition has an easy-to-read page design. Now fully updated to make your language learning experience fun and interactive. You can still rely on the benefits of a top language teacher and our years of teaching experience, but now with added learning features within the course and online. Learn effortlessly with new, easy-to-read page design and interactive features: NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress.

Smarter Writing: A Student's Guide to College Composition and Research helps students gain the writing skills needed to produce college level summaries, critiques, analyses, syntheses, and documented research papers, and provides instruction in analysis, argument, research techniques, and critical thinking skills. Written to be accessible and student-friendly, and to minimize the anxiety many students feel when approaching college-level writing, the book features relatable examples and steers away from formal academic language. Students learn to write effective theses, introductions, bodies, and conclusions to the standard college essay. They become familiar with common rhetorical modes, and comfortable searching for source material and using the MLA format. Designed to enhance students' skills, to demonstrate effective techniques for organizing, researching and writing well, and perhaps most importantly, to boost students' confidence in their own abilities to manage their work and succeed in an academic environment, Smarter Writing is ideal for introductory composition courses. It is also an excellent text for writing courses for international students.